Removing Tomato Laterals aka Suckers

[Salty_Dog]

Sorry this is probably a very very basic question that has been asked here before.
But from knowledge that has been passed down to me and from what i read on forums, it is common practice to pluck out the laterals/suckers etc.

Then after i was shown some pruning advice from a member here, i notice the diagrams also show such a technique.

My question is, what happens when you have been a touch lazy in the plucking and when you get back to your plants, there are sets of flowers growing on the lateral??

You don't really want to remove them, because that is prospective fruit.
Perhaps the answer lies in how tall i want my Tomato to grow or how bushy i want it?
Anyway, i normally wouldn't of even noticed this, but the more i am trying to educate myself about Tomatos, the more questions and confusion i seem to have

Here is one of my plants below showing just such a thing:

[ContainerTed]

You can get lots of proponents on both sides of the issue. So, I'll give my two cents on what I do and why.

I don't grow tomatoes (or anything else for that matter) with the idea that I only want it to "LOOK GOOD" for the neighbors. I grow for something to eat. So, my plants get very low leaf stems removed for health reasons (to keep them out of the mix). Other than that, I let the plant show me what it wants to look like and then I make any necessary adjustments to my schedule of care (water and nutrients) to best fulfill the needs of that plant.

There was a totally unscientific test done by someone on another form that claimed that unpruned plants produce more fruit. I don't put much stock in such claims, but one logical point is that more blooms will produce more fruit. Most folks believe that pruning leads to larger fruit. They assert that the pruned plant will focus its energy into the fewer blooms and produce bigger tomatoes.

I think open wounds on the plant provide avenues for diseases and critters.

And, in the end, I'm actually very lazy and all that constant pruning takes a lot of time and energy and makes me tired.

Ted

[Salty_Dog]

Thanks Ted, that is great info and right on the money for what i am trying to understand.
I don't prune from an astetic (plant) stand point, i have only done it as i was told it is what you do (yes, lame i know)
My main and ONLY concern is the fruit and its taste and i guess the health of my plants.
As for fruit size, if i want large fruit, i'll plant a large fruit variety

Very interesting reading your post, as in my current crop of 26 tomato plants (all in containers), the ones i have left completely alone, look the healthiest and have shown twice the vigor of the others.

I guess i am just trying to understand if this plucking/pruning is that helpful?
Especially considering i have a bunch of flowers growing off one of them
From what i have learnt in a short time on this site, the suckers/laterals are just "other" stems, and that if the head is cut out of the plant and the last 2 laterals left, they in turn will become the next 2 stems.

Like you say Ted, 2 schools of thought i guess, those that just plant them and leave them alone and those that get all technical and fuss over them.... probably end up with similar results at the end of the day

I really like your point about making wounds for disease to get into the plant, perhaps i should just pull the suckers when they are tiny (less than in inch or 2) but once they have grown to 4 inches long and 1/4inch thick at the base they should be left?

[Blueaussi]

I pinch back the early suckers, but after about the first month it's too much work!

[Salty_Dog]

Thanks Blueaussi

[b54red]

I plan to prune more heavily next year and not just suckers. I have done both and none of my tomatoes left to grow uncontrolled has lived nearly as long as some I pruned heavily. I had a lot of disease this year and the ones with little pruning succumbed early while some I kept pruned are still producing tomatoes.
The one big advantage to less pruning is more tomatoes early. I don't see any big difference in the size of fruit it is more a case of me liking a steady supply over a longer time as opposed to a bigger crop early. Some early varieties that don't take the heat well don't need to be pruned as much since they won't set fruit or will die when the temps get near 100 down here.
There are some disadvantages to pruning too. Some plants that don't have heavy foliage cover when pruned will have some tomatoes getting sun scald and you will need some type of support that will allow for the stems to get very long that's why I have gone to trellising mine.
The only times I have had luck without pruning were in years where our humidity was unusually low with light rainfall and little disease.

[huntsman]

Two questions ~

1. Don't all fruit come via these 'laterals' ?

2. Does the bush grow any bushier / stronger with pruning? With peppers the bush certainly benefits from pruning, though fruit is set later, obviously.

[Salty_Dog]

Originally Posted by huntsman

Two questions ~

1. Don't all fruit come via these 'laterals' ?

2. Does the bush grow any bushier / stronger with pruning? With peppers the bush certainly benefits from pruning, though fruit is set later, obviously.

A lot of my fruit is from the stem, but there are some coming via the laterals

[Blueaussi]

Originally Posted by huntsman

Two questions ~

1. Don't all fruit come via these 'laterals' ?

2. Does the bush grow any bushier / stronger with pruning? With peppers the bush certainly benefits from pruning, though fruit is set later, obviously.

Peppers bush pretty well on their own. I've never seen any advantage to pruning most varieties. You could have a real mess on your hands if you pruned some baccatuums to make them bushier.

[Marko]

I think this was the last season I pruned my tomatoes. Last few years I was comparing single stem with multiple stem tomatoes. This is just my observation, not scientific research, but I found out that unpruned plants yield much more (especially cherries), fruits are not smaller and plants are less susceptible to leaf diseases.

[b54red]

That's my point. The conditions in which you are growing your plants should be the deciding factor in your pruning decisions. Pruning requires a lot of time and work and if I didn't find it beneficial for me, I sure wouldn't do it.

[huntsman]

Originally Posted by Blueaussi

Peppers bush pretty well on their own. I've never seen any advantage to pruning most varieties. You could have a real mess on your hands if you pruned some baccatuums to make them bushier.

No no, Aussie ~

I'm referring to toms only here...I presumed all fruit comes from the laterals, though Salty has mentioned that some fruit comes from the stem also, so that clarifies...

(Can't wait until I'm no longer a n00b! Seems like I'm permanently confused)

[Salty_Dog]

Thank you for the replies everyone, seems an interesting debate.
Fortunately this year i have planted WAY too many tomatos...
The 6 Grosse Lisse and 8 Sweet Bite are all from the same batch, so i might try pruning some and leaving the others.
Also have Heirlooms (Black Russian and Green Zebra), so far i have been plucking these.

Interestingly i have also seen another option to all this, pertains more to plants planted in the ground.
This guy instead of pruning his plant, let it grow bushy, BUT, he then buried the lower branchs into the ground to promote them to root.
Which they did resulting in a massive 4' x 4' Tomato bush with a massive root system and equaling massive yield.

Mine are all in containers, so i am more concerned if the lateral growth is productive or a nutrient waster?

Seems from above... you can just leave the plant alone and it will take care of itself and reward you just the same as if you fussed over it, in relation to yield.

[Salty_Dog]

Originally Posted by huntsman

Two questions ~

1. Don't all fruit come via these 'laterals' ?

There you go huntsman

[huntsman]

Cool, thanks, mate!